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On Friday, “Act of Valor,” a movie featuring real-life, active duty Navy SEALs (and SWCC–Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen) in situations with actors, debuts in theaters. As a patriot who loves our Armed Forces and sees the SEALs as heroic men, I’ve been looking forward to this movie, which I haven’t yet seen and which I’ll be screening with other movie critics early this week (my review will be up on this site on Friday). Two Detroit-area Jewish Republican men I know, including one who was Army Special Forces, saw it and loved it. But, now, given what I’ve learned about the movie, I’m not as excited because it appears that the movie is a how-to book for our enemies on Navy SEAL techniques, methods, and behavior in missions. If I were an Al-Qaeda or Hezbollah official, I’d require all of my jihadists, masterminds, and plotters to watch the movie repeatedly, like opposing NFL team players watch game tape.

Originally, I was under the impression that the men in this movie were recently retired or about to leave the SEALs. Not so. They are not only active duty, but their faces are not obscured. So much for the Navy SEAL precautions of keeping their identities secret. And, although the action does not feature real-life SEAL missions, it features simulated missions that show what SEALs would do to capture a hostage, how they would fight off the bad guys, etc. Is there a legitimate reason to give this information away to the public? I can’t imagine the Sayeret Matkal (the elite Israeli version of a combined Navy SEALs/Green Berets/Army Special Ops unit) allowing its current operatives to film what is essentially a HAMAS/Hezbollah training film.

The star-struck, Hollywood-jock-sniffing bureaucrats who oversee the Navy SEALS claim that the movie doesn’t give away anything. But I’m not buyin’. Some of the movie’s trailers say, “The story is fictional, but the weapons and tactics are real.” These brave men go through extensive, intense training. Their reactions are almost instinctive. I don’t believe they “acted” through a series of situations and committed acts that were completely different than or counter to what they’d normally do in such situations. It’s just not plausible. And I’m not the only one who thinks so.

James Vaught, a retired lieutenant general who helped create the Army’s elite Delta Force, disapproves of the SEALs’ participation. He says they’re seeking too much publicity, and worries that a film that shows real training exercises could benefit U.S. adversaries.

Navy officers say the film reveals no tactical secrets. “This is a way that we can help the American people understand what we do,” said Adm. Dennis Moynihan, the Navy’s top spokesman. “We are telling our story through movies.”

But do the Navy SEALs really need to “help the American people understand” what they do or “tell [their] story through movies”? Is there anyone who isn’t aware of what the Navy SEALS do or who they are? Has there not been enough media coverage or positive PR with Navy SEAL Chris Kyle’s book, “American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History,” atop the best-seller list and several recent high-profile missions? Haven’t the American people seen enough Navy SEAL porn, after the killing of Bin Laden, with Barack Obama using them as his own personal housekeeping crew for the left? Was it really necessary for the Navy SEALs to go to Somalia and risk their lives for leftist activists (one, a spoiled American, and another from a Scandinavian pan-Arabist country) who went there at their own risk on some silly mine project?

I think we know quite a bit about the Navy SEALs, and we don’t need to know more at the risk of giving our enemies nearly two hours of video training in what they do. And it’s not like the SEALs need to market themselves for recruitment purposes, with thousands of men desperately trying to get into the elite force, and a scant few making it.

If you’ve been living inside a mushroom and still don’t know what the Navy SEALS do, wouldn’t the 1990 Charlie Sheen/Michael Biehn silver screen version, “Navy SEALs,” suffice in telling you the story without giving away the store? Yeah, I know, that movie features actual Arab Muslim terrorists, and we can’t have that. As I understand it, “Act of Valor” doesn’t (as the credits indicate, but, again, I haven’t seen it yet). With actors playing the bad guys against the real-life Navy SEALS, one character is called “Commander Pedros.” And there is a Russian terrorist and a Filipino one. But they don’t call ’em Chechnyan Muslims or Abu Sayaf, as they are in real life. I guess Osama Bin Laden was Mexican. And the Somalians holding the selfish leftist activists hostage were Wiccan. Right? They mention “jihadists” in one of the trailers, but I’ll bet the words Islam and Muslim aren’t in the movie. Will let you know.

If you are a current or former Navy SEAL or other similar military special forces member, what is your take (and, per usual, I’m interested in everyone else’s take, too). I’ve heard that some Navy SEALS think all of this publicity isn’t good for business–their risky missions and their attempts to live quiet, safe lives back on the homefront.

There’s a reason the SEALS have been secretive from the start. Why give the secrets away? It’s not New York Fashion Week or the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, where you put everything on display. It’s a military force that is supposed to protect our national security through vital missions, furtively.

@ Matthew, Right, ya I’m really not concerned about a bunch of Stone-Age Terrorists “intelligence”. What I am concerned about is why we are having cookies & ice cream with these scum? I also wonder why a SEAL Team 6 copter was shot down right after Bin-Laden was shot?

Agreed. Most jihadis learn from past failures or successes, not from movies. Hostage taking, car bombing, aircraft hijacking, those tactics all evolved from previous attempts. That’s why they get better. Its called after-action analysis.

First, Kyle’s “AUTOBIOGRAPHY” says it all; “the world’s deadliest Sniper” wouldn’t be publishing an “autobiography,” nor spouting off about allegedly cold cocking Ventura etc etc. “HOGs” and “PIGs” perform their taskings with professionalism, and usually play it close to the vest. The recent hub-bub regarding Scout Snipers is being blown WAY out of proportion; “SS” has been the acronym for DECADES.
Second, there are a few (several) movies showing some of the tactics employed by operators; “Tears of the Sun,” and “Proof of Life” readily come to mind. Both show tactics regarding IA drills and reconnaissance of targets etc. Other movies have shown insertion techniques (whether Airborne, underwater, and/or overland/hinterland etc.). Heck, even Nicholas Cage’s movie about Alcatraz used BUD/S instructors in some of the scenes and for technical guidance.
While I’ve not been to the Golan, the operations in the Negev with G’Vati (hoped I spelled it correctly) were all on first name basis; no libo pics; no tall tales after debrief; just shakin’ chutes and re-packs with the ladies (babes) at the paraloft- all business. Chileans and Argentinians were the same way.
I’ll admit, it does take some gonads to even attempt BUD/S, “Q” courses, and other BASIC indoctrinational fields of “study,” but the real “learning” and honing (ball busting barrel chested Frogman stuff) occurs on-the-job. Personally, I do not feel it is appropriate to use the phrase(s), “Active Duty” to market/sell a movie; they/we are not mercenaries. My opinion? Ruck up, move out, and FIN HARDER! Sammi is everywhere.

Calling Chechen Muslims Russians or Abu Sayaf or MILF Filipino is like calling Adam Gadahn or John Walker Lindh or Jose Padilla American. Technically, they all are, but the description gives the message that average Russians or Filipinos are threats to America.

There is just one advantage to this movie that I can think of. If one is unsure about whether our enemies know about such things or not, but think that it’s likely they do, then put it out there under that pretext, and now, the Seals know, or assume, that the enemy knows, and plans all future moves against them accordingly. It’s not just enemy knowledge of our tactics that matter, but also, the element of surprise – whether they are given to assume anything.

There’s also the possibility – which would obviously be unstated in case it was – that the Navy Seals have put together a video of the very things they don’t do, and are putting it out there, in order to confound the enemy, while making PR points @ home. On the latter, I agree w/ them – while all of Debbie’s well-wishers here may well support them, the navy wants the support of a majority of Americans, including Obama supporters, so it makes sense to do something like this that would win over the shallow support of such vapid supporters. And if this movie is indeed a ‘decoy’ of some sort, I’m all for it. And for obvious reasons, I wouldn’t expect them to tell us that it is.

This is no different than the Obama and Bush administrations both inviting the media to video the tactics and training of Federal Air Marshals in order to take the attention away of how screwed up that agency is.

Every time there is another air marshal going on TV to discuss how screwed up the agency is, or every time the Inspector General releases yet another report confirming how screwed up that agency is, you can bet money that there will be a Federal Air Marshal Dog & Pony Show released on TV.

There were a lot of bets that were lost this past weekend. Most people were sure it was going to be an Federal Air Marshal supervisor that was going to get the first bullet from a subordinate employee.

I’m pretty sure that they guys in the movies are not going “down range” anymore. More than likely, they’re now BUD/S instructors at Coronado. The men who star in the movie were on Fox & Friends last week & were asked a question about whether or not they thought the movie gave away too much to our enemies. One of the old salty chiefs said, “we didn’t broadcast anything the enemy doesn’t already know about us.” Finally, as to the possible danger posed to the families of these SEALS, I’m sure that if these men ARE now instructors at Coronado, that the access to that base is tighter than Super Glue. It was BEFORE 9-11. I’m sure that its only become MORE stringent since then.

Also, I’m highly doubtful that these guys in this movie were DevGru guys. While DevGru is the Navy version of Delta, even the “regular” (nothing “regular” about them, but for lack of a better word…) SEAL teams are trained in such tactics. Marcus Luttrell, author of “Lone Survivor” was acutally part of a SEAL team that specialized in SEAL delivery. Yet they also had the training to conduct the mission mentioned in his book (Operation Redwing). DevGru or not, almost any man with the SEAL Trident & more than 2 years experience on the Teams knows these tactics. The technology shown in the trailer, like the backpack portable Raven UAV, has been featured in shows on the Military Channel like “Futureweapons” with former SEAL Richard Mackowitz (I THINK that’s how its spelled).

I’ll be going to see this movie this weekend. Its one of the only movies in recent memory that I’d be happy to go to the theater & see.

PS. Another poster referenced “Tears of the Sun,” which I also thought was an EXCELLENT SEAL movie. Its a must see for anyone who hasn’t done so yet.

The review I read said the effort began as a recruiting movie for the seal support teams, the boat drivers, etc. Then they got into it and realized, hey, we can make this into a full length movie. So they did. The review summarized it as a recruiting movie.

First of all, this film was comprehensively scrubbed for TTPs (tactics, techniques, and procedures) that are considered sensitive.

That said, SEAL operations succeed only when three conditions are met: Stealth, Surprise, and Violence of Action. If the first two conditions are met, the third will win the day. Understanding a certain TTP is of little use when we show up in your house and are shooting you in the face before you even know we are there.

This movie should not have been made, but it was. The guys who made it were very cognizant of their responsibility to represent the Teams in an honorable and accurate manner. The only currency that has any value in the Teams is an individual operator’s reputation. Once you lose that, you cannot get it back. We understand and demand that our Teammates hold us to a high standard. While I had no role in the film, three friends of mine are in it. I can assure you that they made great efforts to show the Teams in a way that their fellow Teammates would admire. In my opinion, they have done that.

People are going to bitch about acting and character development and claim this is propaganda. We don’t care about that shit. The Teams and the guys that are in it are accurately represented and our brothers who have gone on to glory have been honored. If you don’t like it, you can suck it.

“Porn”, really? How dare you use the word anywhere near the SEALS. Being from Virgina Beach and San Diego, I have had the honor of knowing several SEALS and their families. These are American Heroes that allow us to sit safely in front of our computers sharing our opinions about life.

There should be an apology in the very near future for your reckless and sensational use of the word.

I’ve read Lone Survivor, it’ll be on theathers in 2013 starring Mark Wahlberg, and maybe some SEALs tactics of recon, etc will be on this movie too
Have anyone seen Discovery Channel “Surviving the Cut”? all training, tactics are showing to the public,
Well maybe that’s good to increase our respect to our troops, but it also good for our enemy so they might get what they need, the tactics.. Who’s with me?

Anyway as what Tecumseh’s poem said in the ending of “Act of Valor”
Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your live. Trouble no one about their religion, respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours.

Totally irresponsible to slam a movie that you haven’t seen. You are going to see it this week so why in the heck would you make all of these comments based on heresay when you can actually watch the movie and give honest feedback in a day or two. You must have run out of ideas for the blog. IRRESPONSIBLE!